I don’t really associate Bryn Terfel with bel canto comedies but why not?  He’s a good actor and he’s certainly funny in recitals so why not in opera?  So, what’s he like in the title role of the production of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale recorded at Covent Garden in 2019?  Short answer, excellent, and pretty much everything about the show is highly satisfactory.

Damiani Michieletto’s production is fairly straightforward but well timed and it has a few interesting touches.  Don Pasquale’s house is indicated by lines of light so there’s no solid exterior.  As it’s on a revolving platform we get to see the interior from multiple angles.  It’s furnished in 1950s style but it becomes clear that the opera has a contemporary setting.  What we are seeing is a homage to Don Pasquale’s dead mother; a theme that will recur throughout.  There’s also some use of puppets and a live video camera that projects giant footage of some of the action (usually Norina) onto a giant screen at the back of the stage. There’s also a brief appearance by young Pasquale and his mother in Act 3.

The singing and acting is excellent.  Bryn plays it pretty broad, which is perfectly appropriate in this role.  Olga Peretyatko is a most spirited Norina.  She has a lovely voice with killer coloratura, looks terrific and is a really good actor.  Markus Verba is also excellent as the scheming Dr. Malatesta.  Ioan Hotea is a wonderfully nerdy Ernesto but there’s nothing weedy about his tenor voice which is excellent.  Bryan Secombe rounds things out with a nice cameo as the “notary”.  The ensemble work is all crisp and it comes off as a proper fast paced opera buffa.  Orchestra, chorus and, especially, conductor Evelino Pidò all contribute to a genuinely fun performance.

It’s a straightforward show to film and Pati Marr does a good job.  Backed up by first rate video and audio (DTS-HD-MA and hi-res stereo) on Blu0-ray it’s a very satisfactory viewing experience.  There are a couple of extra tracks; one has the team talking about performing Don Pasquale, the other focuses on the designs.  They are a useful supplement for a rather skimpy booklet that just has a track listing and a synopsis.  Subtitle options are English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Korean.

Modern video recordings of Don Pasquale are surprisingly thin on the ground but what there is isn’t bad.  There’s a Glyndebourne version with Corbelli and De Niese, which I haven’t see but would expect to be good, and a Met DVD (no Blu-ray) of a show I enjoyed in the HD broadcast which featured a bravura performance from Netrebko back in the day when she was still doing -inas.  So, this new one is a welcome addition to the catalogue.

Catalogue number: Opus Arte Blu-ray OABD7274D.